Homeless encampment fires a concern in Marin

John Coen, open space/park ranger for the San Rafael Police Department walks through a burned area at the end of Kerner Blvd. on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, in San Rafael, Calif. The 80 acre plot, known as the Canalways area, is a popular homeless encampment. Cities and towns in Marin have been battling a number of marsh fires suspected to be connected to the encampments. (Frankie Frost/Marin Independent Journal)
Frankie Frost

Marin cities and towns have recently snuffed out copious fires with suspected connections to homeless encampments, and dry weather isn't helping reduce the chances of such fires reoccurring.

With the county experiencing its driest year on record in 2013 as Marin Municipal Water District recorded less than 11 inches of rain, much of the vegetation surrounding homeless encampments is extremely dry.

San Rafael fire Chief Chris Gray said homeless encampment fires have the potential to turn into large wildfires threatening the livelihood of the surrounding community, especially with the current weather conditions and lack of rain.

In recent months, San Rafael has been able to douse such fires before they get out of control. The latest blaze on Jan. 24 burned three acres of an East San Rafael marsh near Home Depot on Shoreline Parkway.

San Rafael open space Officer John Coen said it's the sixth fire in the marsh in the past year.

"If this was a normal winter for us, this would be under 6 inches of water," Coen said as he examined the marsh's charred pampas grass last week. "About 70 percent of the homeless have some sort of fire starter."

Coen, whose main job is to patrol open space areas for encampments and coordinate cleanup efforts, said he often finds propane tanks, lighters, lighter fluid, camp stoves and barbecues at the illegal camp sites. While some people build fire rings with rocks, others use metal trash cans or even old tree stumps to contain the fire, but it doesn't always work.

Corte Madera fire Chief Roger Sprehn is well aware of the problem. The fire department extinguished a 5.6-acre pampas grass fire Jan. 2 near The Village at Corte Madera that displaced several homeless residents. A half-acre fire also believed to be related to homeless encampments erupted in the marsh across the street from The Village on Sept. 27.

"We only have about one or two fires a year related to homeless encampments, but when they do happen, they can be dangerous to the occupants and the firefighters going out there," Sprehn said.

Residents last month arriving en masse at the last Town Council meeting to express concerns about the fires. Town officials said they are looking into removing some of the vegetation — especially in the marsh area.

"We're working with the landowner, the Golden Gate Transportation District, to see what we can do to mitigate the problem out there," Sprehn said. "The pampas grasses are like hay bales, they'll burn for days."

There are more than 933 homeless people in Marin, according to the county's 2013 biennial homeless census. Homeless residents at Ritter Center, a San Rafael nonprofit that provides food, hygiene and medical services for Marin's homeless and working poor, said much of the local homeless population is extremely careful with fire, but there are always a few bad eggs that ruin the bunch.

"Most of the fires are started by either nut bags or drunks," Mitchell Davis said. "I have a single burner stove and I put gravel around it."

Holly Wild said it's the people who aren't paying attention that end up starting hazardous fires.

"People are careless because they're drunks or doing drugs," Wild said. "I've never set a fire, but I've been scared by them."

She suggested the county create a paved area where people could camp, decreasing the likelihood that surrounding vegetation might catch on fire.

For David Brady, keeping warm using a fire isn't an issue as he simply wraps himself in the numerous blankets and sleeping bags he carts with him.

"I haven't made a fire in years, but when I did we used to make fires in those big empty gallon drums," Brady said.

Others like Dan Miller don't bother with the outdoors at night and seek shelter services.

"I'm too old to stay outside," Miller said. "I'm part of the REST program."

REST, or the rotating emergency shelter program, is a winter program run by more than a dozen local churches and synagogues that gives homeless people a meal and a warm place to sleep at night. The program is in its sixth year and is funded by the religious establishments and the Marin Community Foundation.

Novato Fire Marshal Bill Tyler said most homeless people he has encountered are careful around fire, using fire rings or big pots to contain the flames. But that doesn't mean a fire can't and won't go awry.

"A lot of times they're accidental, because they're cooking and there's a lot of debris and garbage around," Tyler said. "Also, there's a lot of alcoholism and drug use going on and I think sometimes they're careless."

Tyler said Novato has had six fires so far this year that have been attributed to homeless encampments. Like many other Marin cities, once an encampment is located, the city's code enforcement division or police department steps in to coordinate a cleanup with the landowner — whether it be on private or public property — so a fire won't be built or reignited there.

Proactive efforts to educate homeless residents about fire danger, encourage landowners to eliminate dense vegetation that could house homeless people, and maintain open space areas are popular options to reduce the risk of encampment fires — especially in San Rafael, where downtown businesses and residents have complained about the number of homeless people lining the city's streets.

Within the past two years San Rafael has created a "quality of life" initiative that called for increased police patrols and enforcement of minor infractions such as jaywalking, drinking alcohol from open containers and urinating in public in the downtown area. City officials also have hired a homeless liaison for the police department, hired a second part-time open space police officer and entered into a $272,000 contract with the Downtown Streets Team — a Palo Alto-based nonprofit that helps homeless people find work and rebuild their lives.

Homelessness and encampment fires are less of an issue in Mill Valley, according to Mill Valley fire Battalion Chief Scott Barnes. He said the city hasn't really had any homeless encampment fires in the 23 years he has been there.

"We definitely don't want to see that in Mill Valley, especially with the terrain," Barnes said, adding that the south side of Mount Tamalpais is covered with flammable scotch broom and pine trees. "Any kind of open fire this time of year, especially with the drought, is not going to go well."